I think I'm getting old......

Well in the words of Ed Sullivan:

It's been a really big shewwwwwwwwwwww or in my case weekendddddddddddddddd!!

Of course it all started on Friday night as I mentioned funny enough in Friday night's blog.... when I went to dinner with Amanda and Jeff/Geoff. You knowwwwww I think I might call him Jeff Jeff/Geoff Geoff from now on. Of course I just need to find out the right spelling! LOL

It's funny isn't it how we love the good old nicknames. I've had a few in my time and yesss I know it's hard to believe right!!! hehe

My Grandad used to call me Fuzz Face when I was little.

At school I was known as Livvy (after Olivia Newton-John who I loved) or Meady-Chick as Mead was my maiden name, Mum, Shorty, Short Arse and to this day a few of them still call me this!!!

In jobs I have been known as Morley-Mead, The Cheryl, Morley and prob some I wouldn't want to know!! LOL

Jake calls me Mumma D - as in Mother Dearest which considering it was a memoir and expose on the American actress Joan Crawford by her daughter who claimed she was a victim of child abuse and that her mother was more concerned with her career than being a good mother! Might not be a good thing!!!!

Mmmmm that reminds me: I need to talk to Jake about this.....

And of course the good old fave "Kazzachezza" which is the combination in Aussie slang of Karen Cheryl, because between you and I am not a huge lover of my middle name!!!

But I digress..... sorry Groover's back on me being old!

So there was Friday night dinner and then yesterday was spent at the Rachael Bermingham event called "How to write a book and make it a BESTSELLER" which was just amazing and def mind blowing.

After my big day with Rachael I came home to my normal welcome of Funny Nana opening the front door and little Embee Louise running outside with excitement that her Mumma is home and then doing a nice wee-wee (as we like to call it here in Morley Manor) on the grass in the front yard.

I guess at this point to our new readers I need to point out that Baby Jake doesn't have a sister called Embee Louise... but that Embee is our dog! Although I always say that Jake is Embee's boyfriend! So not quite sure how that all fits in now that Jake is at Ayers Rock working and somehow his "girlfriend" is left behind in my house and shares my bed..... Maybe there is more to that Mommie D title than meets the eye hehehe.

Anywaysssss after the front yard wee-wee I took Funny Nana and Embee Louise on an outing to Redcliffe beach for Fish & Chips! It was such a lovely night down there with a wonderful "Summer Breeze" as Funny Nana called it. And she had fun reminiscing on all the times they went to Redcliffe when she was a child for holidays.

She talked about the carnival they used to have in the very park that we had our dinner in last night, to the big Ferris Wheel they used to have at the end of the jetty in the main street of Redcliffe. She talked about going to the picture theatre and for those of you who weren't aware did you know that the Bee Gees lived and went to school there!

And later in the night I had my nightly spa whilst looking out at the stars and kids I even saw me another shooting star last night! :)

And then today I had a lovely Sunday Morning sleep in followed by a catch up phone call with Baby Jake!

Was great to catch up on the goss in his world and hear all the nice drunken stories of him trying to come home one night and putting his key in someone else's front door and then deciding to return to the bar rather than try and find his unit and then when he did arrive back home a few hours later leaving his front door open and stumbling into his unmade bed that he tried to make and then whilst we were talking on the phone remembering only then that he even collected his washing and brought that in with him whilst stumbling through the door.

Did I mention that this drunken night happened just over a week ago and he only just remembered today on the phone that last bit!!!

This is an actual picture of Jake's bed! I have no words.....

Then it was time for me to go along to a work BBQ at one of the guys place. I had a really lovely day catching up with everyone away from the workplace. I am sooo lucky to work with such a great bunch of people and then to meet their partners and kids was just great!! :)

Next time I am going to take Embee along as she would have loved it and let's face it, she can be my "Proxy Kid" andddddddd she is much better behaved that Jake! LOL

Of course after all this excitement when I arrived back home it was time for the AMAZING Nana Nap that we all crave and love! And so here I am.... writing in the dark, no dinner, Funny Nana has gone to bed and Embee Louise is passed out on my bed.

One of the joys of technically being an Empty Nester is that I am going to go make some Vegemite toast for dinner and watch some TV and hit the sack again.

Yep I'm telling you life doesn't get much better than this weekend!

Hope you guys had a great one too!

Me xxx

And then there were none....

Late yesterday afternoon when I did my usual "check on the Baby Doves" there was only one left in the little nest :( The other baby must have decided to venture out into the big world!

So it got me thinking about the one that gets left behind.... I guess it must of been the weaker one or might it have been the smarter one, to stay behind and be the only one now that got food from mum when she returned to the nest?

And when does the Mother Dove not return anymore to the nest to feed her young'uns? I know I ask all the hard hitting questions don't I!

I guess she must know when the time is up, when to let them stand on their own two feet and become their own bird/person.

So then this morning when I woke up the very first thing I did was check on the one and only Baby Dove that was now on it's own, I noticed it trembling a bit, I guess it might have been cold as normally it snuggles up to it's brother/sister.

And you know what, at some stage of our own life we will be on our own. Even if we find the partner of our dreams, get married and live happily after... one day one of us will pass away and then one will be left behind.

Is it better to be the one that leaves or the one that gets left behind? That is the question I ask myself tonight and you too.

Mum, Jake and I count ourselves very lucky that we got to have my Grandad around for another 13 years after my Nana passed away. You see they had been together for a very long time, since they were 16. And they loved each other very much. When I look back now and think how heartbroken Grandad must of been to have lost his "girlfriend Lou" as he used to affectionately call her.

He was the one left behind, to remember all the days gone by, to remember how it used to be....

So this morning after checking on my Baby Dove, Embee Louise and I went for a drive to Redcliffe, which is about 15mins from my house. Now Redcliffe and I go back a long way..... I even have a scar on my left knee where I had to have 17 stitches when I was around 9yo, after ripping my leg open on some rocks when I was fishing with my Grandad. (I'd show you my scar but I haven't shaved my legs hehehe).

So back to the fishing story.... I got a bite and somehow slipped into the water and as I was trying to climb out I ripped my knee open on the volcanic rock that was there. Fun hey! and Grandad got into soooo much trouble when he took me back home to Mum and Nana hehehe. Poor kid :(

We had a nice little walk and enjoyed the amazing scenery.

Of course Embee had fun too! :)

Then when we came home as I was walking up to the front door I looked up to where the Dove's nest is, outside my bedroom window and I saw a Dove perched on the side of the awning. I thought either the mother bird had come back or the other Dove had returned. So when I got inside I went into my bedroom to check and guess what?

No Doves at all........... :(

So it was either the Dove that was left behind about to fly off orrrrrrrrr maybe even the Mother Dove coming back to find both kids had flown the coop!.

So Groover's I was a little sad this morning but this my friends is The Circle of life. You do that you can to look after them, to bring them up correctly and then one day it's time to let them go out into the world and fend for themselves.

And then there is me and my story. Did you know that there are only three more sleeps until I too have to say Goodbye to Baby Jake. Mind you I know he isn't going away forever, but he is leaving MY nest.

Gee that Bloody Circle of Life can suck sometimes..... LOL

The rest of the day involved some napping, sitting in the sun in the spa anddddd another nap! ahhhh it's tough isn't it these public holidays they make us have!!

Tonight I made some of my fave - chicken, corn and mushroom crepes. Yum!

And in a moment I am going to go have another spa and look out at the sky!

And kids is where I shall leave you tonight!

Me xxx

Hip Hip Hooray - it's Peppers Bale!

Well Groover's I am officially 9 years old! And loving it.....

And I have to say that I probably had one of the best birthdays EVER! You know people are always complaining about Facebook, with privacy and all that, but you know what? For me it has brought me many hours of entertainment, it's supported me during both the good and bad times in my life and yesterday it showered me with so much love from all of you kids, that took the time to wish me a very happy birthday!

I had some lovely comments, texts and great pics posted that made me LOL (thanks Deb!).

Andddddd I scored not to bad in the gift department as mentioned in last nights blog!

So yesterday I packed my Lotions & Potions, said goodbye to Baby Jake and Em Lou and off I headed to Kingscliff, with the Radio a blaring and me singing some damn fine tunes :)

Now I was running a tad late and the lovely Barb had checked in for us and when I arrived I found this:

which turned into this!

Which was soooo lovely, thank you Barb :)

Now all the way down, could have been that fantastic singing... who knows BUT I was craving a Toblerone Cocktail and Tapas Platter (as you do) and so off we went to the main Peppers Bar and Pool Area.

And excuse me but what a magnificent day it was! Not only was I turning 9 but the Gold Coast (about an hour south of Brisbane) won the Commonwealth Games bid for 2018, whichhhhh will be here before we even know it!

And then it was time to celebrate with Cocktails & food!

Then it was time for a swim.... Barb said and I quote "it was the best pool entrance of her whole entire life!" anddddd I have to agree, it was simply divine!

So we swam, caught some rays and had a lovely spa and then it was time to head back to our Holiday Pad for a little baby nana nap for the 9yo! (it's tough being 9, let's face it!) andddddd then when I awoke looking not a day over 6 may I just say, we got ready and went to pick up my friend Alan from work who lives down this way!

Met his very cute dog Elly & Son! :) (is 16 too old? hahaha) only joking... I AM!!! And off we went back to our Holiday Pad to show Alan around!

Andddddddd I got this from the very thoughtful Alan! (who wrapped it himself may I just add!)

And walla! it turned into THIS!

I knowwwwwww how beautiful! Thanks Alan you are such a good kid! :)

Then it was time to meet Emily and Lucan at our favourite Thai Rest in Kingscliff! We go there every year, it's called The Red Hot Thai.

Go check out their Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Hot-Thai-Cafe/152865598078952

And it is amazing! I can tell you that all my friends LOVE THAT PLACE and could eat there every night if they could. I have even had friends drive down to Kingscliff for the day JUST TO HAVE A MEAL there as they are craving it soooo much! And I won't mention any names buttttttt it has also been known to have a star or two visit, who the same as my friends, when they arrive in the country it's virtually the first thing they do, is eat there! (and NO it's not The Morley Report Groover hehehe) orrrrr as a good friend of mine said yesterday "Queen of the Groovers" which I thought was cute!

We had a grand night with lots of food, wine and yessssss there were a few Rum and Cokes! Then we all came back to "The Holiday Pad" for a couple more drinks and after lots of laughter (Alan, Alan, Alan...) and NO it's not what you think buttttt you need to check this out! It cracked us up all night!

Walk on the Wild Side - Alan

But be warned YOU WILL PEE YOUR PANTS!

So Emily & Lucan went home, Barb went to Bed and poor Alan was left with me at the laptop as I preceded to share some Morley Stories.... Not sure if during this time he fell asleep but I kept going with my stories cause that's how I roll! hehehe.

So I woke Alan up and he went home and then I did my Morley Report for you kids and thennnnnnn I hit my lovely divine bed! Had the best nights sleep, had a sleep in too this morning! Gotta love when that happens.

And after some late breakfast on our balcony overlooking Central Park (which is what they call it at Salt) we watched some Car Club boys and their cars have a gathering, which of course did nothing for me (the cars that is, not the boys!) and so I thought for some of you kids you might like to see!

I also spotted some young boys (somehow they caught my eye!) thanks to Barbs help! hehe playing Boche in the park!

So after all our "sightseeing" we headed back to our pool! And what started out as a very cloudy day ended up being a magic one :)

And of course this called for Hot Chips and icy cold Lemon Lime & Bitters!

There is just something about lazing around in the sun that makes you tired! Well that and maybe the previous nights festivities + a few rum and cokes! Oh that reminds me, don't you just hate it when you wake up in the morning with a sore throat from "Drunk Snoring!".....

Anddddddd it was time for this little 9yo to have her afternoon nap! Ahhhh bliss.

Then when I did wake up there was a storm a brewing....

Currently as I am typing this on the balcony there is a thunderstorm approaching and its raining... ahhhhh.

Barb just said she doesn't want to go back to her normal life! And I agree! It's just way to nice!

Well Groover's time to hit the road. Barb has brought down the DVD Bridesmaids as she hasn't seen it! I knowwwwwwww she is in for a treat and I am looking forward to seeing it again! I describe it like a train wreck! You don't want to watch but you just can't turn your head away hehehe.

Night

Me xxx

Morley Storm Watching & good Nana Naps!

Well kids after a big day in the backyard this morning tidying my hole, I was def stuffed and went down for a nap and have only just woken up. Poor Mum had already gone to bed.... Jake had also passed out downstairs. Must be a Morley thing! :)

It's def been interesting weather here in Brisbane in the last week. Now normally we have afternoon thunderstorms, esp after a hot and muggy day, but that was more back in the day. Now days the weather patterns are freaky to say the least. And for some strange reason in the last week we are waking up with Thunderstorms!!

I woke up this morning early at 4.30am and as you do went onto the internet and saw that there was a massive storm heading our way. I even went downstairs to wake up Jake because lucky me, my car was not under cover. But I couldn't wake him up, so decided to wait it out and if we got hail then I would def wake him up to help move stuff in the shed so I could get my car undercover. Lucky the house wasn't burning down and I couldn't wake him. He was def tired that's for sure.

Hail on the North Side of Brisbane this morning:

But I think every now and then you really do need a weekend to recharge the batteries and potter around and just enjoy your surroundings. Don't you agree?

I also had a phone call from an old friend who is actually a few years younger than me and can you believe this, doesn't really get onto the internet! I am going to have lunch with her on Wed this week and bringing my laptop along to try and convert her.

I honestly believe that you need to keep up with the times, because if you don't you can get left behind very very fast and nobody wants that. Well not at our age anyway!

It is scary though when you are say returning to the workforce and have been away for some time and technology has grown sooooo much. And especially if you have kids I am a firm believer to keep up with the times!

And do you know it was only a few years ago when I did my Travel Course that I created my first email address and used a computer with a mouse! And then a few years after that when I was shown the ropes by Al and Jake for MSN Messenger and MySpace!

And you know I can remember when Facebook first came out I would have a few "group lessons" for friends to show them the ropes as such :)

So it was a quiet day at Morley Manor today, just how I likey! This time next weekend though shall be a completely different story and as we all know..... that's an entirely different blog for another night!! LOL

take care kids

Me xxx